The Last Train

The rural areas across Canada have a hard go of it these days. High percentages of unemployment, opportunity, and the move to centralize business, institutions, and housing in the city, has lead to such a change in demographics and a different quality of life, a change in farming and a change in the world that has quickly become global.

 Elders who have spent there lives in tight knit rural communities, are sadly now left watching their children and grandchildren leave for a 'better life.'

 Communication and connection now is a computer screen, where family and friends are miles away from one another, and only memories of a lifestyle that was once a happier, healthier sense of family, and community. Ironically we are technologically more connected but feeling more isolated from ourselves, from others, and from Spirit.


My cousin Carla sings in her song, The Last Train about this situation and depicts an all to common circumstance that exists within small rural communities.

I moved to the country over 20 years ago. I don't ever regret that decision. I love the peace and solitude. I love the connection I feel with the natural world, with my rural community and with the God of my understanding.

Many of us have lost connection with the earth ,and are caught up in the concrete consumer world, where there is physical poverty and homelessness and a poverty of spirit.
In spite of these changes, I am hopeful when I see young people wanting to move to rural communities. God only knows we have to have hope.

THANKYOU!

Carla

I wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to all of those who voted for my cousin Carla Bonnell during the CBC Searchlight Contest. Carla made it to the third round to the top ten representing Northern Ontario. Last year she'd got to round two. She was thrilled to have made it further this time round, and I know how grateful she is to each and every person who voted, supported and encouraged her to keep going.

Needless to say, we are all very proud of her determination, courage and passion for music and the stories she tells about the country, that she dearly loves, Canada.

I thought I'd put her thank you from her face book page on my blog post today.

" What a ride!! I want to thank all of you who supported me in the CBC Searchlight Contest. Third round was AMAZING!! I didn't make the next round, but I'm telling you it was a life changing experience to have so many of you supporting me and encouraging me the way that you did. Top 10 for my region was a real honor! Thanks again!!"

She's Made It To The Third Round!

Carla Bonnell

My cousin Carla's made it through to the third round in CBC Searchlight Contest! She's now in the top 10 representing Northern Ontario.

I know what it means to this small town Minto New Brunswick, Maritime woman, and how very hard she's has worked to get to this point. Her father would be so, so proud of her, as are all of her family . I am so very happy she believed in herself to pursue her passion, and her dream to take this musical adventure.

Please vote and help her to make it the rest of the way!

Here's a quote from Carla.

"Thank you for getting me into the top 10 of the CBCSearchlight Contest! Its an honor to represent Northern Ontario! It would be a great honor to represent this awesome country of Canada. This final round of voting ends on April 27th at 3PM. You can vote from any country as CBC is internationally broadcasted!!
I could not have come this far without your support. I am asking for it again. You can vote several times a day if you wait a significant time between votes. You can vote from each device that you own! Lets make some history together. Please share this voting link several times a day. I will be on the road traveling to a couple of gigs in New Brunswick until the 26th. Help a girl make a dream come true! Take the Last Train to the top!
I would also like to thank the Akademia Music Awards in Los Angeles California for awarding " The Liberator" Best Country Album/Singersongwriter in the month of April. Thank you all for your daily support!"

http://music.cbc.ca/#!/artists/Carla-Bonnell

Carla Bonnell - She Made It Again To The Second Round!

I kind of like to think of my sweet cousin Carla Bonnell, as a female version of Canada's Stompin' Tom Connors, only prettier. Sorry Tom. But believe me when I say she's knows every song and then some!Like Tom her music resonates through the stories she communicates and she knows how to make a connection with the everyday person.

I'm proud and happy to tell you that Carla has made it to the second round of the CBC Search Light competition, for the second year in a row. Please vote for her again in this second part of the competition, will you? Thank you for your support. Here's her bio. I think you'll find it colourful.

Here is the link to vote:  http://m.music.cbc.ca/artists/Carla-Bonnell

North Bay, ON, CANADA

Bio ABOUT CARLA ….Canadian recording artist Carla Bonnell brings depth, diversity and colourful storytelling into play with her songwriting talents, that touch on folk, blues, country, bluegrass and roots elements that fuse together to become her special and unique contribution to the music scene. As a singer-songwriter, Bonnell wears her heart on her sleeve, which is channeled through her lyrics that express universal themes that everyone can relate to.
                                                                                              
As a follow-up to her 2013 Nashville recordings, an inspirational Country release called "Back To You", Carla felt a calling to go back to her roots in the Maritimes and craft a very earthy collection of songs and record in the region where her and her musical family have flourished, for many generations. Thus her 2014 album release titled "Liberator" was recorded in Nova Scotia and produced by journeyman east coast performer J.P. Cormier (Jimmy Rankin, Rita McNeil). The album is a testament to her tenacity to be herself and share her thoughts and stories with fan base that has grown in various regions of Canada via her live performances in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, including the "New Brunswick Country Music Showcase" concert series. Carla Bonnell has performed with band members of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison on some of these select tour dates, who embraced her natural talent and stage energy, as well as live performance collaborations with Juno Award winner Lawrence Martin.

With numerous radio interviews and airplay for her Nashville release, Bonnell subsequently took her career to a new level with a national radio campaign for "Liberator" along with live performances in cities that embraced the new release. To date, “Liberator” can now be heard from coast to coast on over 30 radio stations (and still counting) and  has charted on a number of Top 10 Roots/Folk charts including CFUV (Kamloops, BC), CJSF (Burnaby, BC), CFBX (Kamloops, BC), CFRC (Kingston, ON) and CIBL (Montreal, QC).

Carla Bonnell has always given back to her local communities by performing benefit concerts, even if it means travelling great distances to do so. She was recently recognized in her hometown of Minto, NB on the "Minto Country Music Wall of Fame" alongside many N.B. Country Music Wall of fame inductees.

Radio personality Brent Buchanan, Morning Show Host, Country KHJ says, "Carla really hit a homer with this new CD. You can relate to every song, and that’s what country music is all about right, way to go Carla.”

Carla inspires her fans with her honesty and integrity and is currently writing new material for her upcoming 2015 album release. Bonnell is focused on bringing her music to new audiences and is booking her 2015 tour and applying to select music industry showcases, to achieve her vision of spreading her musical wings into theatres, select house concerts and premiere listening rooms across the country.

Carla’s music has many elements and influences. The album titled “The Liberator” is inspired by Calling Me, which is an upbeat folk song with a country flair that will sweep you over the hills of Cape Breton in your imagination.  Swing into a 50/60’s style rock gone country with For A Fool. The Letter will instantly tug at your heart strings and draw you into an ethereal state of losing a partner and a way of life. The western style guitar in Cariboo Express touches on traditional country sound, singing of dedication of a girl’s memory of a father now passed. Two Little Towns is a local favourite playing with bluegrass beats and licks. Rain shakes it up with a Canadian aboriginal beat, telling a story based on a true to life narrative of the sometimes political struggle to have treaty rights recognized and respected. Feeling introspective? Wishing Well will lull you into deep introspection with its poetic lyrics and hypnotizing melody. You will soon wake up to a new day with Gypsy Heart, incorporating the traditional country sound with a hard blues back beat to tell a story of dreams and desires of the heart. The Drive slows it down again in Leo Kottke acoustic guitar style, enticing the listener to feel the heart ache of losing a long term relationship. Bless or Curse the Tide wakes you to attention with driving fiddle, expressing the mood held in the lyrics of folks who makes choices to bless or curse their lives. Often described as the jewel of the album it’s the Last Train with its completely Canadian lyrical experience and folk country acoustic sounds. The harmony in this duet has been described as eerie and long lasting. The hidden nugget of the album is a short little jig with banjo, fiddle and guitar. The Kitchen Party celebrates the Canadian weekend culture of jamming with family and friends fondly known as the kitchen party

Search Light - Please Vote For My Cousin Carla Bonnell

Carla Bonnell

This beautiful women inside and out is my cousin Carla. She has entered the CBC Searchlight competition and there are only four days left. I am asking for your support. My sweet cousin has truly a musical soul. Please vote for her here at this link below. Thank you!

http://m.music.cbc.ca/artists/Carla-Bonnell

Where To Find Connection

I might be biased because Carla Bonnell is my cousin, but I am very proud of her. I have not known Carla all my life. We actually never knew one another even existed until a few years ago, like many of my relatives on my father's side of the family. Meeting her, and having long heart to heart conversations about family helped me to greatly appreciate, and love her in a deep familial way.

Though we don't get to see one another much, her own original music has helped me to connect and understand her, because she has a story to tell. I believe this is what artists do, telling the stories that resonate with others, and what it means to be human.

 Carla has followed her passion creatively, and intuitively, in spite of set backs. I admire her determination, perseverance, and trust in God to lead, and guide her.

 In this video she gives an earnest and heart felt description of her creative musical journey, and what it means to her. I love my cousin and I am so grateful to have connected with her and proud to call her family.

Carla Bonnell - Back To You - Search Light

 
My cousin Carla is a musician. She has practiced her craft, and honed her skills, not just through hard work, and dedication, but through life experience, and especially I think, because of her love and passion for music, and all things creative, which seems to come as natural as breathing for our family.

I haven't know Carla all my life, and a number of years back, I found out through her father's brother, also a musician, that she existed. We connected right away. I suppose blood is thicker than water, as the old adage goes and we immediately seemed to recognize one another as family, in so many ways.

I am so happy that she has made the decision to enter Search Light, which is a hunt of the next Canadian musical artist. I would also be so proud, and even happier if she did win, but what is most important, if not more important, is the fact that she had the real courage, and belief in herself to pursue her music and enter.

Creativity is a wonderful blessing everyone has been given at birth. Some choose to use this, others do not. If you choose to use it in whatever capacity, I guarantee, it can change your life and maybe even save your life.

Music tells a story and Carla sure has one to tell!

http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Carla-Bonnell Search Light - Voting begins tomorrow March 24th 2014!

Carla Bonnell - In The Light of Jesus

Cousin Carla

Most of my life I knew next to nothing about my father's side of the family, as my dad left when I was I was thirteen. He'd rarely speak of his relatives. I had no idea how much creativity was in the family. My father's sister was a painter whom we'd visit on occasion during the Summer treks to Nova Scotia from Ontario every year. I remembered always feeling so heartened and affirmed knowing my aunt painted. I'm sure it helped to foster my pursuit of art. I have cousins, aunts and uncles who are musicians, actors and visual  artists.

It wasn't until I was an adult, and later reunited with my father, that I began to find out about the several cousins, that I felt, "got me", and who I had so many things in common with, in particular a shared love of the arts and music. I'd discovered a vital part of my identity, and felt like that I'd known them all my life. I guess that's one reason it is said, " blood is thicker than water".
I believe we'd all found some sort of solace, comfort, freedom and happiness within and through our creative outlets, a midst the chaotic storms of life.

I think creativity is a deep connection with a power greater than ourselves, even if at times we are unaware, and unconscious of this kind of healing power.  Creativity enables us to process what is going on in our lives. I have met other cousins who I think I could say, they've experienced this, regardless of their religious beliefs.

I have posted some country gospel music my sweet little cousin Carla recently had recorded after heading to Nashville. I am so proud of her and happy that she has fulfilled this dream through hard earned work and commitment and talent.

In The Light of Jesus she sings with heart felt honesty that I certainly relate to and I hope it blesses all who have a faith in a Power greater than themselves, and know what it means to walk the the talk.